Progress For The Sake of You
by Hannahble
Summary: Sora and Riku are back on the island, but are having a tough time coming back into normalcy when their lives was torn apart three years ago. How will they pick up the pieces? Will they be able to adjust? And will they find love on the way? Non-AU, R&R:
1. Chapter 1

Progress For The Sake Of You

The Beginning

Lately, I've been thinking a lot. What am I supposed to do now? The worlds are saved, and Kairi, Riku, and I are back on the island, safe and sound. So are all our other friends and I'm sure they are happy on their own worlds returning to the lives they led before Darkness overtook so many hearts and worlds. However, that's not the same for me. Before we left the island, Riku, Kairi and I were trying to figure out how to do exactly that; leave! Sure I didn't expect any of the 'saving the world' part, but we were successful in our mission. I traveled all over the place and met so many new people in different worlds, making new friends.

Now, coming back to the island to have our happy ever after, isn't working out as I hoped. I am _bored. _We've all gone back to school, where I am three years behind and therefore failing miserably. I miss all my new friends. They are closer to me than any of the people here, except Riku and Kairi. No one knows what happened to the whole galaxy here except those two. It's so lonely; there's a big hole in my heart where everyone I cared about it missing.

I feel like it's a big weight on my shoulders. Where is the happy, carefree Sora? Where is the short, positive, and talkative kid everyone knows? People have even been asking me about it; well, everyone except Riku. He hasn't even bothered to ask, which for some reason makes me hurt more. I miss my best friend. It's like we had a bond again after getting rid of the Nobodies, and we were on a good understanding. But then, he decided to leave my life again! This time, I can't tell myself he's just lost. This time I'm not even a mile away from him, yet I can't get through to him at all! I think I would be happy if I just had Riku back. Then I would know I belong. Then I would be able to live here on this boring island.

- - - - -

Two Weeks Later

"Sora…. _Soooora…_ SORA!" My head snapped up like I was slapped. That's a good description of how I felt at the moment too. I looked over, and Riku's face was abnormally close to mine. He used to do this to me when we were younger to freak me, so I'd back off and be alert. He should know by now that doesn't work; I just yawned, and asked him sleepily, "Why did you wake me up?"

"Obviously because it's 2 P.M. on Saturday, and you STILL haven't gotten up! How late did you stay up last night writing in that book?" he said, pointing to my journal.

"Till about 2 A.M. That's not too late though, so you can't give me a lecture on it." I said a little irritably, looking away. What did he care how late I stayed up?

"Sora, that's 12 hours of sleep! That's not even healthy!" he said.

"What do you care? I just like sleeping, ok?" I said, getting angry now. Why won't he leave me alone?

"Sora, I've known you for 17 years now," he said softly. The tone made me look at him again. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt; he looked worried about me, and a little hurt. He continued, "I know you better than anyone. You've never really cared about sleep. You would rather go outside and do something. Why have you been acting so weird lately?"

My anger flared again. "Maybe I've changed or something!" He looked at me in disbelief. I felt like a fire had erupted in my stomach and inside my head. Glaring at him, I exploded, "It's so boring here! I can't understand what's going on with the people or school work here. No one here except you and Kairi are even my friends. Yet, even as I say that, both you and Kairi are slowly abandoning me!" I paused from my angry rant; my eyes were tearing up. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Riku. I continued, "Why do you even care? Ever since we've gotten back here, it's like you've forgotten that we're best friends! It's like suddenly you don't even care I exist anymore anyway!" Perhaps I have been bottling this for too long.

"You aren't the only one who's suffering, Sora! I understand how you feel, ok? I…" He looked like he wanted to say something important, but then thought better of it. Before he could say another word, I asked, "What are you hiding from me? Why are you abandoning me?"

He again looked like he was struggling for words. He finally said, "I'm not… ready to tell you. Sora, please can we just… go do something fun today?" He looked pleadingly at me. Something held me back from yelling, or arguing. There was something in his eyes that held me back, and it killed my anger. I sighed, and gave in; I couldn't harm Riku even if I tried, and it's not like this is the first time he's held something back from me.

"Alright, but promise me something…. Tell me eventually what's wrong all right?" He nodded, and said, "Come on, let's go."

Yawning, I nodded back and got dressed. When I was delaying leaving by brushing my uselessly spiky hair, eventually Riku dragged me out of my house. Then I realized that Riku has never gone to my house before like this. He's been over when we were young of course, but he hasn't lately. He's never woken me up before either. Maybe that's my fault though. I usually am up at the crack of dawn.

We went to the beach, though I'm not sure why. Memories of fighting heartless and flashes of this world in ruins came back; I winced a little. Riku didn't see it though; he was scanning the shore line with a look of haunting. I'm not the only one with painful memories here… in fact we share one.

I decided to get us both out of the past and put on a smile, since Riku seemed to need it. I plopped myself down on the sand, and pulled him down too by his hand. "Hey!" he yelped in indignation. I laughed at his surprised face. "Lighten up!" I said.

"You've no where to talk, Sora! Out of all the people, you would be the last person I would assume to be serious and depressed." I would've been protestant at that, if his tone hadn't been light. In his own way, he was trying to console me. He recognized what I was going through; that's all I needed. With Riku, you had to read in between the lines. In my mind, you couldn't ask for a better best friend.

"So," I start, "Met any girls lately you want to go out with?" I couldn't understand why, but I was genuinely worried about his answer. I didn't want him to get too wrapped up in another person… but if the girl made him happy, I would accept it for him.

He sighed, "No. All of the girls here are naive and shallow. And…" He didn't finish his sentence, but I was too relieved to ask what the rest of the sentence was."What about you?" he asked me after a moment of silence.

"Oh…" I said. I hadn't even thought about liking someone. "No… I like you're answer. None of them could make me happy." _The only one who can make me happy is you, anyway. _I thought. Suddenly, I felt alarmed. _Wait… what? _I thought it over more, and the statement was right… but was that really... natural? Why is my best friend, who is a guy, making me feel so strange? These thoughts make it seem like I like him. I almost laughed out loud at the thought.

"What in the world are you thinking about, Sora?" Surprised, I looked at him. _Oh, if he knew what I had been thinking about…_ He looked at me in an amused expression. He continued, "You are horrible at hiding things." My heart skipped a beat. "Come on, spit it out."

I shrugged and said jokingly, "Oh, I was thinking about the wonderful _weather…_ it's just so nice…" Riku growled and tackled me. Somehow I knew this was going to happen, and I wasn't complaining. Wrestling and fighting with Riku was something normal and comforting at the same time. It made everything seem like it was going to be ok.

He won this fight; he had me pinned. But we didn't move, and why wasn't I fighting back anymore? I just sat there staring at him; my smile slipping off my face, but a frown didn't replace it. I was just stunned. I suddenly felt like I wanted to kiss him. But that's ridiculous! I'm not gay; I don't like guys!

But I couldn't deny that his eyes were deep, beautiful, and entrancing. I couldn't deny that his lips were tempting, and his skin looked soft and touchable. I couldn't deny that my heart was skipping beats, and my stomach was full of butterflies. _What is wrong with me? _I had no reply to the voice.

Suddenly, the moment ended, and he was off me. I just sat there, now staring at the grey puffy clouds and the darkening sky. "It's going to rain." I said plainly.

"I noticed." So we were going to pretend that moment didn't happen. Ah, what if all the emotions were just felt by me? I'm such an idiot; of course someone like Riku would never think of me like that. Hell, I don't think of him like that!

"Hey, Riku?" I turned my face to him. He was looking at me with a weird expression but I continued on. "What are we supposed to be doing now that we're 'normal'?" I felt nervous asking this question. I always felt like I shouldn't reveal these intimate thoughts to Riku; I didn't want him to think I was stupid. Though, even when I try to hold something back from him, I end up telling him anyway.

He sighed, and looked at the sky. "I don't know, Sora. I don't know." And with that, he got up, and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

- - - - -

2 Weeks Later

I'd say Riku and I are closer now, and a bit friendlier. We talk more in school and out of it. I feel more at ease which is a great relief, though I don't understand why he left that Saturday. I haven't asked; I have a feeling it's got something to do with whatever problem he mentioned a week ago.

I think we are both slowly getting happier though. When we've had too much normal, we'll go spar in the Secret Place, or that's the plan once we make the cave bigger. The door there is gone, but that's just as well. It feels great feeling the keyblade gripped in my hands again, and I feel my old strength coming back by working on the cave and battling Riku.

When we get tired, we'll go get Kairi or someone to help us with schoolwork. I feel less insecure and stupid asking for it when Riku's there too. Now I actually have hope of passing, and I'm gaining some general friendships in my class by hanging out with these kids. It's a weird but good feeling to laugh about stupid things. Things are finally looking up!

It helped me remember something too; the only reason I got through those two years of battling Heartless and Nobodies was by following the light which came from my friends, and Riku. I get strength from others, though I try my best not to be a burden to any of them. Though, I forgot my strength here and where my light is. Now that Riku's darkness is gone, his light shines brighter than anyone's. He brought me in a month's time from my worst self to my best! Or, it will be soon.

Though, lately, I've been having the weirdest dreams lately… They make me nervous to think about them too much and I've been trying to forget them. It's almost the same dream every time, except different settings. I'm always with Riku, and somehow I always end up telling him how much I care about him. Before I know what's going on, we're making out. Sometimes, from there it turns into this graphic dream, and then I wake up with a hard on that I just can't get rid of until I take a freezing cold shower.

Does this mean I secretly like Riku or something? How can I know someone and not know it? Though, Riku is my best friend and there was that moment about two weeks ago… I've also lost a couple battles to Riku by being distracted by him… Not what he's doing to attack me, but by his facial expressions, and the way he moves, and the look he has in his eyes. It's almost all I think about when I'm not doing work and when I'm alone. When did I start to like him? …Did I really just write that down? How can I like Riku! He's a guy, for goodness sake! I thought I liked Kairi… though I haven't really thought about her that way for several months now.

Oh man… I am so screwed. What if Riku finds out? Would he hate me? I bet he would be disgusted. Yes, I must keep this complete secret. Ah! It's now 1 A.M. and I bet anything Riku's going to wake me up again if I don't get up at a decent time. Goodnight!

- - - - -

The Next Day

"I'm proud of you; you actually woke up at noon today!" teased Riku. We were walking to the beach today to go swimming. It's way too hot to be anywhere but in the water. I laughed, and replied, "The dreams were worth every second of the rest, ok?"

"What dreams were these?" he looked at me suspiciously. Oh crap; I really need to learn to hold back some things around him! What do I say now? I can't tell him the truth. I thought frantically for a lie… But luckily for me, I didn't have to. We reached the beach. I yelled, "Alright!" and sprinted to the water, turning my head to the spot we wrestled at a month ago, remembering the butterflies Riku gave me. _Ahh, get over yourself, you sappy idiot. _I scolded myself. I looked forward again, and ran into the ocean till I could dive in.

The cool water felt heavenly, though I missed being able to swim with fins. Ariel's voice echoed through my head, "Follow your heart, Sora, and you can accomplish anything!" A rush of water rushed past me, and I looked over to see Riku diving deeper into the ocean. The flickering of light across his back was an entrancing dance, and I imagined him as a merman for a moment.

_How are you supposed to hide your feelings for him if you keep staring at him like that?! _a voice inside my head rang. I snapped out of my reverie and swam up for more air. I floated on my back trying not to think about my companion, looking up at the sky, feeling the warm sun on my skin. Before I could close my eyes and relax, something grabbed my wrist and pulled me down. After a struggle for my wrist, I glared at Riku when he wouldn't let it go and willed the feeling in my heart away. He smiled in an arrogant way, flaunting his dominance, something he never does unless it's just him and me.

Though, I'm not letting that sentimental statement stop me from stealing his dominance. I struggled with him again, and broke the hold he had on my wrist. Then I caught both his hands behind his back and gave him a look that said, "I so win." Once his shock wore off, he glared at me. I silently laughed, let him go, and then swam up for air.

Once we were both up, I told him laughingly, "You let your guard down! That's how I win every time!"

He scowled at me and replied moodily, "Well at least I don't get a blank look on my face like I don't know what's going on. When we're fighting you'll just suddenly stop and look at me."

I didn't know what to say back to that. I was mostly angry at myself for letting him noticed… but then an idea struck me. "Oh yeah?" I said back, placing a challenging smile on my face, "Let's settle this, _Ku-ku_." I taunt. Ku-ku was a nickname his mom gave him when he was 3. He absolutely hated it. The look on his face was priceless; his cheeks turned red, and he looked down like the water had done him a serious crime. He looked back up with determination in his eyes and said so seriously I couldn't contain my laughter afterward, "You will regret ever hearing that name."

"Bring it on!" I laughed. We scrambled up the beach, and I suddenly had the keyblade in my right hand. He had his too so we wasted no time. I jumped up and thrust the key towards his heart. He deflected it, and tried to bring it back around to get to my side, but I knocked his arm out of the way. My mind was in the battle zone; he was my enemy and he must be defeated. He was in the same mind frame. We continued on like that for the longest time; we couldn't defeat each other, much to my own frustration. We both were getting cuts and bruises, but they weren't a big deal.

Eventually, we finally had our blades in a lock, neither one of us being able to muster up enough strength to over power each other. Breathing hard, we were brought back to reality. The sun was setting; I was over-hot and sweating profusely and could greatly do with some water. Riku looked like he could say the same. I decided to end the battle.

The keyblade vanished, and I asked, "Truce?" He backed down as well, and said "Truce." His blade disappeared, and he dropped to the ground panting, lying on his back. I lay down beside him, feeling the butterflies coming back. _Oh come on, not now… _

After a couple long peaceful moments of silence, Riku said, "You know honestly I didn't think I could be happy back here on the island either." His sudden frankness surprised me. I looked over at him with wide eyes. He continued on, looking at the newly appearing stars in the pink sky, "This place was like a prison to me before we left, and I thought it was be the same when we came back... and it was…until…" he sighed, and stopped talking again, closing his eyes but not sleeping.

I was getting tired of his unfinished sentences. I said softly, "What changed, Riku?" He opened his eyes and looked back at me. He looked hesitant at first, but I think he could tell I wouldn't take a 'no' for an answer. He started, "You reminded me that this was reality, and that I didn't want to drop back into the old darkness. I saw your hurting and decided to do something about it. I got distanced at first because I thought I was making your pain worse, but when you made it clear you wanted me around, I…"

He didn't need to finish this thought. I understood what he meant. I said, "Riku, no matter what, I want you to be my best friend. There is nothing you could to change that." I said honestly and firmly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." He said softly. Now he was looking at anywhere but me. I was about to reply that I was serious, but he suddenly growled, "Ugh." Then he got up, and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

- - - - -

One Month Later

"Mmm… Riiiiiku…." I grumbled. I already knew who it was, but why is he here again? Light was pouring into my room and in my eyes even though they were shut. I'm sure it was pretty, but right now I could feel nothing but irritation towards the sun.

"Come on, Sora, you know you need to get up. How late did you stay up last night?"

"Not that late…" I mumbled into my pillow. I heard a sigh, a shuffling sound, and then the sound of my door shut. Now that was unusual. I lifted up my head, and groaned at the rude light. My eyes adjusted painfully a moment later, and I looked around.

Over this month, my grades have been improving more, along with my strength both physically and emotionally. I'm dealing with things better now, and accepting the life I have here. Our spars are getting a little boring considering we can't beat each other anymore, but we've been still fighting and looking for other ways to compete like with the neighborhood kids playing sports. Though, surprisingly we work really well as a team too. Riku and I also started hanging out with the kids from our school, like at the mall and the movies. Most the time we end up on the outside looking in, but we really don't mind. It's amusing watching their antics, though we have gradually joined in a little. I mean, why not? It's good to belong somewhere.

I've been super close with Riku lately. We are around each other almost all the time, and we can talk about anything- except girls that is. We stay away from the topic of love or like mostly because I'm a coward and don't think I should tell Riku my feelings. Speaking of feelings, I have accepted my liking toward Riku. I don't know if I love him, but I know I like him but also love him as a best friend and brother. It's a really complicated thing, really, but I don't think about it too much. I just let it be. We've had more of those little moments (as I call them) and I enjoy every minute of them. It makes me wonder what Riku thinks of it. He still hasn't told me about his mysterious problem. He doesn't really seem to have one though. He's happy and smiling a lot more now I haven't seen him fall into the blues lately either.

We are different and yet the same. I'm a little bit more talkative, open, and out going whereas he can be shy (though he makes it look like he's just cool like a cucumber), closed off, and non-social. Though, we both strive for the light and try to be the best people we can be. We both need support, though in different ways. In the end, even after all we've been through, we are still just… people. We aren't saints or devils, but just human, trying to make it in the worlds.

This reminds me of the other day at school. I noticed in Riku's arms was an extra book. It was black and had no design on the cover. It had a ribbon book mark though, which obviously meant it was used for something. I asked him about it later that day at lunch. He look a little flustered for a moment, but then put on his passive cool-guy mask and said, "It's just a book." _I guess that makes sense, _I thought, _and I could see Riku as the reading type._

Kairi overheard and said, "Oh really? I've never seen a book with a blank cover." She pondered a moment, and then continued, "I'd be so interested in reading it." She winked but catching the look on Riku's face was all she needed to laugh and say, "Kidding! I won't do anything, Riku, I promise!" Then giving him an understanding smile, she turned to her friend and stroke up a conversation.

For a moment, I was completely lost. What in the world were they talking about? Suddenly, it hit me; it was his _journal_. Curiosity caught aflame brightly within me; even though Riku was safe from Kairi's peering eyes, he needed to worry about mine. He glanced at me, and then said as if he read my mind, "Touch it and you die."

I laughed, and thought about challenging him, but thought better of it. Instead, I said, "I gotcha, I gotcha… Gees, Riku, that journal makes me nervous now!"

- - - - -

Suddenly, something caught my attention in the present. I smelled something like eggs… was Riku… cooking? No, he can't cook… can he? Feeling curious like I still felt about his journal, I got up and walked to the kitchen where I met the strangest sight I had probably ever seen, which says a lot. If I wasn't awake before, I was now.

The bright, light pink kitchen's perfect cutesy image was being destroyed by my best friend. He had a frilly apron around his waste, and his hair tied back. He was making eggs and toaster waffles. The odd occurrences were Riku cooking (my image of him being the cool guy was forever shattered) and wearing my _mother's _apron. I couldn't take it; I immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He spun around, and looked at me in horror. I sputtered, "You… my mom's… apron… you can…cook? Ha ha ha!"

He looked at me crossly. "Well, you wouldn't get up, and I was hungry! Then your mom came in and said 'Safety first!' and put this damn apron on and forced my hair up! … Stop laughing at me!" His request was useless. Eventually my giggles subsided, and I said, "Am I allowed to have any?"

He obviously wasn't impressed with my laughter. "I don't know… maybe if you make your own. There's an extra apron." He smirked evilly. I was undecided; I really didn't want to wear the apron. But then, my stomach gave a large growl of protest to my thought process. I sighed, and walked over to the pantry door, grabbed the apron and put it on. Riku looked like he was about to burst like I did. I wouldn't blame him; I probably looked just as ridiculous as he did.

But I would never admit that. When he started laughing, I defended myself, "Hey, at least I don't have my hair up; you look like a girl!"

"I could fix that for you." I knew he was threatening my hair. Oh no, I didn't want that! I shook my head in mock horror. He smirked and continued a slight baby voice, "Well then, little Sora, go make yourself a wittle waffle." I hated being called little Sora but I decided to let it slide this time. I glared at him and tried to ruffle his hair (in vain) as I passed, but did as he said.

In the end, we sat at the wooden kitchen table, and stared out the large window that brightened the cooking area of the kitchen and of course, the table. Well, he was staring out the window anyway. The waffles were rather pathetic and tasted like cardboard, but I didn't really care. I was too lazy to get up and get something better anyway when my mind was otherwise occupied.

Deciding to abandon the cardboard, I asked Riku, "So what are we going to do today?"

He shrugged and responded, "Well, I know Kairi and them are going to the mall today. They might see a movie later too, I think."

"Neh, I rather not… Any other ideas?" I glanced out the window. _You know, _I thought, _I really don't want to leave the house today._

"Nope… I actually don't really want to do anything today." He said, looking disinterestedly around. _Are we telepathically connected somehow?_

"Let's just chill around the house then. We could go rent a couple video games or something." And so it was decided. We didn't even bother to put on anything but shoes and a shirt (we took off the aprons though) and we tore across town, and rented a game called Call of Duty and Guitar Hero. We only rented Guitar Hero because it would be fun to be loud. I knew Riku was good at it though; his cousin had the game and Riku played it for awhile while he stayed there. It would be fun to watch him play.

So that's what we did for the next four hours. We played Guitar Hero for about an hour, but then Riku said his hands felt like they were going to fall off. I called him a sissy, but didn't make him play more. I put in Call of Duty and we both played together for the rest of the three. We got bored though after three hours though. Deciding to take a break, we went to the kitchen again for something to eat. I told him if we ate waffles again I would personally eat the box it came in before the actual product. He laughed and agreed the waffles were a failure this morning.

My mom left a note on the refrigerator saying she'd be on town all day with a couple of girl friends. I didn't care until I realized Riku and I were home alone. I had been having butterflies all day, but now they were flying like a predator was in my stomach trying to massacre them. I looked to Riku who was looking bored while scanning the pantry. I allowed myself to stare. He was just so beautiful, and he doesn't even know it. His green, vibrant eyes, his silver, long hair, and this pale soft skin were beckoning to me, but I didn't move. I found myself thinking that I wish I could attack him with a kiss, but of course I knew better.

"All we have is goldfish." He said, his tone of voice matching his bored facial expression. He glanced over to me, but then fully faced me as if something about me took him by surprise. _Oh, shit! _I thought, realizing my facial expression was probably odd. I forced a neutral answer, "I think there's uh… French fries in the freezer we could put in the oven."

He didn't reply but walked over to me. "What were you thinking about?"

Panicking, I said, "Nothing." I tried to sound calm, but I said it too quickly, and I couldn't get my eyes to look into his.

"No, seriously, tell me!" He wasn't angry or anything; just curious as to what I was thinking about (obviously) but also why I wasn't telling him. Oh man, I'm screwed.

Or at least I thought I was, until I remembered something from two months ago. "I was just wondering what that problem was from awhile back. You promised to tell me but you never did." He looked puzzled for a moment, but then it clicked, and he believed my lie. Though now I was curious as to what that was all about.

He looked sheepish, "The problem is still there… but I don't mind it. I'm happy with the way things are now, so you don't have to worry about it." I gave him a disbelieving look. Did he seriously think I would take that for an answer?

"Well, too bad. Can I at least know what it is? Maybe I can help." Now he looked nervous and a little panicked. It kind of ticked me off. What and why was he hiding from me? "I hate it when you hide things from me."

He was looking everywhere except at me. He finally said frustratedly, "Look, I just can't tell you." Then he made a move to leave. _No, _I thought, _you can't run away again. You've done this twice now._

I grabbed his wrist, and pulled him back. "Riku, tell me!"

He suddenly looked tired, like a weight was on his shoulders that he couldn't remove. "I can't tell you, Sora. I want to and it kills me that I can't tell you… but I don't want you to hate me." Somewhere within me, I felt a little recognition. But… that couldn't be it. I refused to let my hopes up.

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again; there is nothing you could do to make me hate you. Didn't you learn that two years ago?" He looked at me exasperatedly, and replied, "This is different… It's…complicated." I had to admit that my hopes rose a little bit here but I was still worried that I was wrong, and I was also worried most for Riku.

"Well, I can take it. I'm just as mature as you are, you know." He snorted as if he disagreed, but looked defeated; there was nothing else he could possibly say to serve as an excuse to refuse me. He peered at my face as if deciding something, and then his face set; he was definitely going to do something. And then, Riku's face was extremely close to mine. Before I could grasp what was about to happen, Riku's lips powerfully and purposefully met mine. For a couple seconds, I was just in shock, but something stirred inside me, and I responded to the boy who started it all.

Feeling like my heart would probably explode in happiness, I forcefully kissed back. He pulled me closer to him and I started brushing his silky solver hair with my fingers like I had done so many times in my dreams. The real life experience was ten times better than the dream though. Riku grabbed my other hand, and intertwined our fingers. His hand was strong, perhaps even stronger than mine. His skin reflected his years of fighting, quite like mine. In some way it was sexy to me; we were equal and meant to be.

The kiss had been sweet at first, but suddenly I felt my back hit a wall and the whole setting took a lustful note. I delved into his mouth with my tongue, and he responded by doing the same to me. His taste was just mind blowing, but indescribable. We took turns exploring, but soon that objective was lost because we were getting faster in our kisses and our breathing was getting heavier.

Apparently, this was where he decided to draw the line. His lips left mine, and I opened my eyes. He didn't release me though; instead he looked as if that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Did that seriously just happen?" he whispered, his voice deeper than usual.

I think I nodded, or responded in some way. I was too shocked to speak. Riku was with me; he just kissed me. He… liked me back! A stupid smile placed itself on my face. I quickly tried to wipe it off, hoping he hadn't seen it, until I realized it was too late. However, it seemed to reassure my companion, much to my surprise. He smiled a genuine smile, and he looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. For a moment of weakness, he laid his forehead on my shoulder. He said, "I've liked you for a long time… but I couldn't tell you because I thought…"

He drifted off, so I finished for him, "that I would think you were disgusting and hate you. I thought the same, only about you finding out how I felt." It felt weird saying this, but I wanted to finalize it. The statements said made it seem more like reality.

He lifted his head, and kissed me again. I knew he would never walk away from me again, and that he never wanted to in the first place. I never wanted this moment to end; I could and would take on both the Heartless and the Nobodies if I could keep Riku here with me. I would do anything for another day like this one.

- - - - -

This was a story about two boy's pain, and their way of coping, and finally their love story. They had to work together and accept one another to help each other, and they had to make it known what was going on in their hearts before their hurt got better. They also had to tell each other they liked each other, otherwise they never would've known. Communication is key, and trust is the lock; no matter who you are. This was their story, what's your's?

A/N: This is the end of the story, but there IS going to be an epilogue (that isn' quite finished yet). If you don't want to read boy sex, don't read it. It's just a little fluff at the end, really, showing their success at being together, and me relishing their cuteness. I hoped you liked the story! :D


	4. Chapter 4 Epilogue

- - - - -

2 Months Later

-_Tap, tap, tap-_ The rain outside pelted my window; there was no going outside today. –_Tap, tap, tap- _Riku, now my boyfriend of two months, was there too, but not paying any attention to me. He's writing an essay for school on his laptop, hence the second set of tapping. How annoying.

I sighed loudly, trying to get his attention. He either didn't hear it, or chose not too because his typing didn't pause or slow. I sighed louder. He does nothing. I wait a moment, and then I sigh in a moaning kind of way, emphasizing the grievous boredom I was enduring. I got his attention, but he didn't stop typing. He said, "You should work on this essay too you know. It's due in two days." Why are all my efforts useless when it comes to him? _He just does what he wants_, I thought, grumbling.

I replied, "But that's so _boring._ There are better things to be doing." I look pointedly at him, but he unfortunately wasn't looking at me.

"Like?" he says, not even taking his eyes from the screen.

"Not essays." I say in a cross voice. Like I would admit what I really wanted to do! "You sound like you are pouting." He replies; I can hear the smirk in his voice.

"I am not pouting!" I exclaim. "I'm just bored!" I was sitting at the edge of my bed, but I decided to just full-out collapse on it as if giving up on life. The mattress creaked, and my body landed with a small 'thump!' The typing stopped for a moment, and the chair he was sitting in made a noise that suggested movement… But I was sorely disappointed when a little 'whoosh!' of the chair sounded and the tapping of keys restarted.

Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. I considered two options when I felt like I was going to explode from the lack of employment. There was either 1) I do the essay like Riku said, or 2) bother Riku enough to stop working. Considering the first was almost as stressful as doing nothing, I went with the second alternative.

"Hey Riku?" I started, formulating a general plan in my mind.

"Yeah?" He said distractedly. I continue on, "What are you writing about for your essay anyway?"

"It's about Edgar Allen Poe and his works." he starts, his typing slowing. "I'm just explaining what Poe is trying to say in between the lines in his stories. For instance, everyone thinks they are really morbid stories, but just that. They are a bit dark, but he's really explaining human nature in some ways, and how we respond to things. He's also showing us how close life and death really are." He stops there, and continues typing, returning to his old speed. If he had looked at me, he would see my jaw on the floor. Only Riku would think of things like this.

I shook my head. I still had my mission, because Riku needs to share his brilliance with me, not our reading teacher. I was expecting for Riku to answer my question with an 'I can't explain it; I'll tell you later, let me work.' He never stops surprising me though.

I created a new plan to get Riku's attention. "Yours sounds pretty cool. I have no idea what I should do for my essay though… could you help me?" I was hopeful about this one; maybe he would think me a hopeless cause then take pity on me. Then I could use his lack of suspicion to attack him.

But alas, all he said was "Maybe later." I glared at the back of his pretty head. He's picked an essay over me! I was slowly but surely loosing hope of catching his interest. I couldn't think of any way to persuade him surreptitiously to come to me. I decided to just stare at the ceiling till he decided I was important again.

Just when I had started to doze off, Riku smiled proudly and said, "Done!" I sat up, and stared at him, angrily shocked. I had waited all this time, doing nothing, trying to get his attention, and he finished right when I got comfortable? For some reason I felt like he won something. I swear there's someone looking after me that _loves_ making fun of me.

Before he looked over to me, I quickly decided to pretend like I hadn't noticed him. I lay back down, putting my hands under my head, and scowled at the ceiling. I was slightly angry at myself; I couldn't resist listening to his every move. He shuffled around the room, put his flash drive into his backpack (I heard a zipper open and close) and stopped somewhere (I figured out that he turned off the laptop when Window's little sign in/off tune sounded). Then he was traveling again, his footsteps getting slightly louder, indicating he was getting closer to me.

"You're still pouting I see." He said in a taunting tone. I glared at him, and replied, "I am not. I've just been bored for the past hour."

He chuckled and said, "You've never been patient, anyway." I started to protest to that, but he climbed onto the bed and on top of me, attacking my lips before I could retort. Then he whispered seductively, "Let me make it up to you anyways."

That properly silenced me, and I didn't fight him like I had originally planned. He kissed me again, and this time I kissed back. I felt the butterflies in my stomach erupt familiarly, but a fairly recently attained tension developed at the bottom of my stomach and back. It wasn't unpleasant though. In fact, it was the exact opposite. I entangled my fingers in his hair, and my other hand was under the rim of his pants on his side. His hand was starting to inch its way up my shirt while the auxiliary hand supported him.

Our tongues danced in their unique routine, and his skin suddenly felt burning hot on mine in a sexy way. I wanted more of it. At this need, I pushed him up a bit, and stripped his shirt off. I wasted no time to kiss down his neck, and bite it. His surprise made his guard slip, and my reward was a moan from him. All blood rushed south as I trailed my kisses down to his shoulder, where I bit again.

Riku pulled me up and took off my shirt now, his aqua eyes turning lustful in a way that just made me want him more (if that was even possible). His skin was soft, firm, and beautiful. He was extremely pale compared to me, but I didn't pay attention to that; I was more preoccupied with marveling him. He kept his abs because of our fighting/teamwork, and I couldn't help but feel a little proud of us. I've probably seen him shirtless a million times, but this was different. I was truly looking and adoring now. His hair was falling close to my face and had a slight flush on his cheeks from the intensity of us.

I was on my back again, and his lips met my desperate ones. I was getting little shivers in places he touched lightly; every time he would breathe across my bare skin, I would involuntarily give a little gasp. His hand inched lower and lower, and I made it a point to pay attention. He unbuttoned my pants, and got his hand under my boxers, where he found my pulsing member practically screaming for attention.

He answered its call by grasping it and jerking up and down skillfully. It took every bit of me to not moan loudly. The hand that wasn't in Riku's hair was scratching his back in probably a painful way but I couldn't help it. I silently hoped he was masochistic. After a couple minutes, he stopped. I made a noise of protest, but he wasn't paying attention. He stripped me of my pants and boxers. I blushed and looked away but a moment later I gasped and looked back at Riku.

His tongue had just licked the tip of my cock, but in the next moment, his mouth was around it sucking slightly. The damp warmth around my arousal, and knowing it was _Riku_ doing this to me, brought out the beast within me. I growled and moaned aloud, and replace my hand back into his hair, the other hand gripping my sheets. Pleasure grew and grew in my body while Riku spoiled my arousal expertly. An orgasm came over me only minutes later, overwhelming like a cold shower but in an inflamed way. A throaty moan rang through my ears where I only dimly realized it was my own sounds.

When the world came back, Riku was staring up at me. I probably looked a mess; my hair was sticking to my face, I was sweaty all over, and my breathing was heavy, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from Riku's face.

He brought himself up to my lips again, and I kissed him in a sweet way, trying to say thank you without words. I wouldn't leave him restless, though. I pulled his boxers and pants off (with his help) and swiftly got him in between my legs on his knees. I started out like he did where I then proceeded to use every trick I could think of on Riku's dick with my hand. I started out pumping not as strong (still firm however) and slow, but I gradually worked up to a fast, strong pulse. It worked well on Riku, and it helped establish his mood; it made him _need _that release, so he wouldn't just be 'satisfied' with pleasing me. While I was doing this, my other hand was lightly grazing his skin on his back, arms, chest, thighs… etc. It was sexy watching his skin get little goose bumps, and to watch him shiver and shudder.

As I knew he would eventually, he moved my hips, positioning me for entrance. I stopped giving him a hand job and reached under my bed for lubricant. As soon as it was close enough for Riku to grab it, he took it greedily from my hands. With a small 'pop!' he opened the unmarked bottle and poured a good amount in his hand. He lathered all of it on my entrance, pausing a little here and there to explore a little in that seductive, turned on way of his. While he did that, I simultaneously got some lube too and rubbed it on Riku's hard as stone erection. Out of my eye, I saw Riku bite his lip. _Oh, _I thought, _so you are holding back. Let's fix that._

Although we weren't thinking in the same direction, he did what I wanted; rather suddenly, he thrust himself inside of me and immediately unleashed a guttural moan. He leaned down in an almost collapsing way; he needed to collect himself. I inwardly smirked that I had this effect on him. However, he didn't take but more than two seconds to start again, thrusting inside me slowly. I almost moaned at the feel of it but I divided my attention. I started kissing his neck, and lightly biting; every time I bit him, he would give a little moan and blood would run south for me but I continued to concentrate on him. After biting his collar bone and a sexy "Sora…" reply warning from Riku, he used his non-supporting hand to pull my lips to his.

The air was tense and sweat dripped from his beautiful face; he was thrusting harder, faster… I could see on his face he was so close to the edge… I bit his lower lip, and he moaned loudly. It was any second now… A couple seconds later, he gave the sexiest groan he had given all night that seemed to screamed his release. He stopped thrusting, and had basically collapsed on top of me.

We stayed like that till we caught our breath. Riku moved off me a bit until he was using me like a body pillow. I kissed his forehead, and asked quietly, "Alright, which is better: writing an essay, or having sex with me?"

He chuckled, and snuggled closer to me. "Having sex with you, of course. I think of it as making love though." I turned my head and our eyes met; I couldn't help but smile a little bit. He just makes me so happy. He looked at me questioningly, wanting to know what my smile was for, but I shook my head a bit making my brown uncontrollable spiky hair shake over my eyes.

We remained silent after that; both of us were suddenly exhausted and I wanted nothing more than to sleep in his arms. My wish was granted; Riku's slow breathing played across my cheek like a lullaby and only moments afterward did the world disappear to content slumber.

- - - - -

A/N: So, that's it! :D Whatcha think? Comments would be greatly appreciated! Ha-ha, any requests too? I love writing but don't have much inspiration at the moment (dies a little on the inside). Sayonara!


End file.
